1. Field
Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to the field of aircraft wing design and more particularly to a variable camber tip and actuation mechanism for wing or flap trailing edge.
2. Background
Modern aircraft operate over a wide range of speeds and altitudes which requires modification and control of the aerodynamics of the lifting surfaces of the aircraft. Major changes in lift requirements for take off and landing are accomplished using conventional trailing edge flaps, among other solutions. However, finer adjustments to optimize cruise aerodynamics or assist in optimizing aerodynamics for other flight regimes are not adequately being provided for. Current solutions modify the camber of the wing by extending or retracting the trailing edge flaps a small amount to reduce drag during cruise portions of flight.
Because of the requirements for the flaps to achieve the large lift changes required during take off and landing, the chord of the flaps is a significant portion of the overall wing chord. The flap motion is controlled by a mechanical drive system and has limited deployment capability during cruise flight conditions due to the relatively large chord length of the flap with respect to total wing chord. Further, this small deployment is only effective during limited cruise conditions based on the camber change resulting from the angular displacement of the relatively large chord length of the flap. Spanwise tailoring of the aerodynamic effects is also limited by the span of each flap, i.e. the entire flap spans either move up or down. As with the chord of the flaps, the span of the flaps for achieving the large lift changes required for take off and landing is large and practical limitations in segmenting the flaps due to the requirements for actuation control limits spanwise variation for changes of the overall wing camber.
It is therefore desirable to provide a structural design for a variable camber trailing edge tip.